U.S. Democratic presidential contender releases 2018 tax return, urging others to follow

A U.S. Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 cycle, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, released her 2018 tax return, urging other contenders to follow suit.

Gillibrand and her husband brought in roughly 218,000 U.S. dollars in 2018, including over 167,000 dollars from her salary working as a senator and 50,000 dollars from a book deal, according to her tax return.

The New York Democrat paid a combined federal tax of 29,170 dollars, putting her effective tax rate at 13.6 percent, the documents showed.

She touted the release in a video on Twitter as a show of transparency and called on her competitors to do the same.

"We can't fundamentally change Washington unless we can show the American people we are brave enough to do what needs to be done," Gillibrand said.

"Join me in calling on every presidential candidate to disclose their taxes," added the 52-year-old, who has made her returns public every year since 2012.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, another Democratic hopeful, has made her tax returns public for the past decade. Others in the crowded Democratic field have yet to release any recent tax returns.

The issue of presidential candidates' taxes has emerged as a point of attack for Democrats since 2016, when President Donald Trump broke with longstanding precedent by refusing to release his tax returns.

Senate Democrats unveiled an elections and ethics bill on Wednesday, which would require presidential and vice presidential candidates' returns to be publicly disclosed by the Federal Election Commission.

The House passed a similar measure earlier this month.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)